Here's my journey to the 2008
and 2012 Olympic Games
to compete in synchonized
swimming.
I'm now retired and coaching
all around Canada to share
the Olympic Dream with
the community.
Studying at M.Sc Marketing,
HEC Montréal

SAINT JOHN – The last time Elise Marcotte was in Saint John was
11 years ago, when she won her first trophy in synchronized
swimming at a national event in 2002. Since then, she’s been to the
2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics and has two gold medals in duet
and team events from the 2011 Pan American Games, among other
accolades.

Marcotte recently visited the Surf City Synchro Club at the Canada
Games Aquatic Centre to host technical workshops for coaches and
athletes in the water and out of it.

Marcotte, 24, retired from synchronized swimming after the London
Olympics where she and partner Marie-Pier Boudreau-Gagnon came
in fourth in the duet and team categories. Recently, she has been
travelling across the country, visiting synchro clubs in Alberta,
Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.

“I want to share my passion for the sport and share the knowledge
I’ve learned over the past 18 years and from two Olympics,” Marcotte
said.

The wisdom she passed along made an impression on 11-year-old
Madison Shannon, who sat alone in the bleachers absorbing what
she learned.

“It was the best experience I could ever imagine,” Shannon said.
“When I get older I want to be in the Olympics, too. Just to see how
she made it all the way there is really cool.”

Shannon was not the only one who made an instant connection with
the amicable Marcotte, who was accompanied by a gaggle of kids
hanging off her every word.

Even one of the team mothers was smitten.

Shelly Dauphinee, whose two daughters Emma and Cate swim with
the Saint John club, billeted Marcotte.

“She represented the Olympic community very well. To think we
watched her last summer on television and here she is swimming in
our pool, eating breakfast with us, sleeping in our guest room ...”
Dauphinee said. “Next time, I said she can even drive our car.”

Dauphinee said Marcotte talked to her girls about the glory of the
Olympics and also the challenges she faced to get there.

“She taught my girls a little bit about resilience,” Dauphinee said.

Coach Jennifer O’Blenes said the visit will have a “lasting impact” on
her students who took away the lesson that little improvements can
make a big difference.

“It’s unreal what they’ve gotten out of her, just overcoming struggles,
how to stay motivated, a lot of tips and tricks that can improve what
they already have for skills that much more,” she said.

“I think they got a lot of inspiration, which is what we were hoping for.
I think they overcame a fear to try new things.”

What was maybe most memorable for the young athletes was seeing
Marcotte demonstrate her skills in the pool.

“She was amazing,” said Abby Kelson, 12.

“Everything she did was perfect,” gushed Brooke Streeter, also 12.

While the judges at the Olympics might not agree entirely with these
girls assessments, Marcotte said she has no regrets about just
missing the mark for a medal.

“Our performance was so good, we didn’t care about the rest, we
were an amazing team, we’re still friends,” she said, adding that
Team Canada won medals at every other competition besides the
Olympics. “We’re really proud of what we did.”

Now she’s on a different journey, finishing up her master’s degree in
marketing in Montreal and making herself accessible to young
athletes, “so they can see I’m normal,” she said.

Her goal now is to help people discover their calling, hopefully in
synchronized swimming.

“Keep working hard and love what you do, it’s the first thing,” she
said. “Once you find what you’re passionate about, you don’t care
about giving it effort or being tired at the end of the day.”

Sharing the dream... Calgary February 15-16-17thQuote from one of the swimmer Brooklyn Baker / Citation d'une des nageuses Brooklyn Baker :"It made me feel so important to be in the same water as an Olympian! It's not every day you get to swim with someone who has been to the Olympics, and she went twice! She taught us so much. She inspired me because she had to work really hard to get to the Olympics herself. The best part of her visit was getting her autograph and a picture with her!"

Spreading the dream... Sudbury February 9-10th
Here's an e-mail from a parent of a little swimmer in Sudbury... She is 7.

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Hope your travelling is going well and you arrive home before the freezing rain hits.

I wanted to take a moment to thank you very much for the weekend in Sudbury. My daughter thought the time was amazing. Right now, she is making a scrap book of photos, autographs, bathing caps and personal writings. She has been crying since you left as she ‘misses you’ and genuinely hopes she will see you again.

This is the type of thing that she will remember forever. She loves the sport and your contribution to her swimming is sure to be a large one and will certainly be long lasting. From a parent’s perspective, I was amazed at how well you related to all the girls and the coaches. It was fantastic to meet you and I am extremely glad the club brought you in.